Rose’s title tailspin continues at Lochee

Feb 26 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

LINLITHGOW Rose lost their fifth league game on-the-spin to put another serious dent in their title ambitions.

'Gow have been stumbling from one bad result to the next for several weeks and after a 2-0 reverse at Lochee they require fourth-placed Bonnyrigg Rose to slip up.

At present Linlithgow are still sharing top-spot with Kelty Hearts on 22 points.

Bonnyrigg are two points further back but have crucially played three games less than their championship rivals and will go seven points clear if they win their games in hand.

But Linlithgow visit Bonnyrigg this weekend in a match which will have a pivotal impact on the destination of the Super League title flag.

Paul Blackwood and Greg Kirk scored Lochee's goals which saw Linlithgow sunk for the fifth time in-a-row.

BATHGATE played only their second league match since November 15 this weekend as they held third-placed Tayport to a 2-2 draw.

It was a good result for Thistle but unfortunately wasn’t enough to lift them off the bottom of the table.

The county club, who are reigning Scottish Junior Cup holders, took the lead just before the break when Ian Nicolson slammed the ball home from 10 yards after latching onto a long throw-in by Stewart Hunter.

Tayport levelled the game five minutes into the second half when Ronnie Kenneth stroked home a penalty.

And the visitors took the lead with a little over 15 minutes left on the clock when Brian O’Connor finished with aplomb.

But Bathgate refused to accept defeat and earned a share of the points with a penalty of their own.

Jim Lister was hauled down in the box allowing sub Paul McGrillen the chance to level from the spot.

Bathgate: Longmuir, Wilson, Neill, Hunter, Easton, Riley, Nicolson, McColligan, Lister, McLaren. Subs: McGrillen, F Love, Elliot, Harvey, Carlin.

WHITBURN picked up only their second league win of the season at the weekend when they edged out Bo’ness 2-1.

The Burnie had Andy Doig to thank for the win after the striker bagged a deadly double on the road.

He broke the deadlock after 15 minutes when he slammed home an Eamon McNelis cut back.

And he doubled his tally and Whitburn's advantage five minutes before the interval when he arrived at the back post to volley the ball into the net.

Bo’ness introduced sub Ross Muir in the second half and he made his presence felt very quickly and he pulled a goal back for his side soon after entering the fray.

But in the end the Burnie held on for the valuable three points which keeps them just ahead of county rivals Bathgate at the foot of the Super League table.

Whitburn: Walker, S Murphy, Leiper, Moonie, McGurk, Donnelly, McNelis, Doig, McSween, Strickland, Dolan. Subs: J Murphy, Hannah, D Murphy, MacKay, Parkin.